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The Hanford Republican led with 28,718 votes to Chavez’s 17,296, a commanding lead of 62.4 percent to the Democrat’s 37.6 percent as of 3:08 a.m. Wednesday.

New state primary rules send a race’s top two vote-getters to the general election — making Tuesday’s contest less a cliff-hanger than a potentialpredictor of what might happen in November.

The district is heavily Latino, with nearly 47 percent of registered voters being Democrats compared to 30 percent registered as Republicans, and is considered key to GOP rebuilding in a state where Dems hold all executive offices.

Poll watchers said candidates will perform differently in a general election with better turnout.

“I don’t think this election is going to have much credibility because the turnout is undoubtedly so low,” said Candi Easter, chair of the Kern County Democratic Central Committee.

“Being an ag person, being an oil person, he has good constituent work going,” Harper said. “Unless there’s a tremendously heavy Democratic turnout in November, I don’t see Vidak losing.”

A key issue in the race was the proposed water bond. Vidak co-authored an alternative that trims it by $1.9 billion.

Chavez promised he’d help broker a water bond compromise if elected.

The candidates also differ on hydraulic fracturing, the controversial but highly effective oil extraction technique recently regulated by state Senate Bill 4.
Chavez thought SB 4 was a good compromise on fracking regulation. Vidak sees it as a jobs killer.

The body of a large paddle-tailed rodent was found early Tuesday in the traffic lanes of southbound Mohawk Street north of Truxtun Avenue, suggesting Bakersfield's fabled bike path beaver -- scourge of local saplings -- may have died.

The lush grasses and sweeps of wildflowers cloak much of the damage to the small canyon in a blanket of ephemeral green. But Ellen Cypher and Erin Tennant can see it as they walk along a sandy route that has been churned into the bottom of the wash by motorcyclists and quad riders.

Even Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez's self-serving, disingenuous and downright contemptuous ranting against a proposed ban of Piccolo Pete and ground flower-type fireworks wasn't nearly as stunning to me as Supervisor David Couch's silence and eventual vote against the ban.